Timeline of Kharaak
This page details the timeline of Kharaak's creation and the rise of the dominant races throughout its history. The Sundering of the World and Creation of Kharaak 1.5 million years ago is when Kharaak came into being. Its formation was the result of several massive earthquakes rupturing the plates of the world and causing them to drift amidst the oceans. Thousands of years after the Sundering of the World, as the Dragons and Nospheratu had deemed it when they became sentient, the was a great eruption on the seafloor that created an obsidian base, effectively cementing the broken lands together. In the North was a vast desert with a large oasis near the coast. In the East was a multitude of forests, mountains (though the mountains were not always there), rivers, and valleys. In the West lay more forests, along with grasslands and a vast lake. The grasslands continue to stretch South, leading to a large swamp that continues along the Southern edge of the Eastern mountains and stop a few miles short of the coast. Early Sentience on Kharaak 500,000 years after the creation of Kharaak, various species evolved greatly, but only three evolved into a state of true self awareness: Dragons, which had evolved from smaller reptilian creatures; Nospheratu, which evolved from a bat-like creature that fed on the blood of its prey; and Elementals, living avatars of each element. Being the first sentient beings of the new continent, Dragons and Nospheratu held much power in the shaping of Kharaak's future. For hundreds of thousands of years, they existed peacefully, each leaving the other to their own devices. Elementals, however, were not great in number and as such regularly convened with the Dragons, with whom they felt a strong connection to in the ley lines of Kharaak, to share knowledge. The Evolution of Elves Another 500,000 years later, another great feat of evolution occurred in a pointy-eared creature with above-average senses and agility, resulting in the Elven races. The evolution occurred in the forest-dwelling beasts, which spawned what are now known as Wood Elves. However, the Sun Elves, or High Elves, also spawned from this same species, but believed that the evolution meant they were superior and sought out to increase their hold over less capable races. During this time, a cousin species also evolved, resulting in the Drow. Though distantly related to the other Elven races, Drow harbor deep feelings of resentment toward all races, viewing themselves as superior and above contact with all others. As such, after their evolution, they build their capital deep in the forests of Kharaak and hid away for 499,500 millennia. The Creation of the Living Mountains A mere 200,000 years after the evolution into Elves, the Earth Elemental, whose name has been long-forgotten by history, wanted to practice his power of tempering the land. To test his ability, he poured his very essence into the heartstone of Mount Rockhammer. Combined with his living essence and the magical energies of the ley line, 10 lifeforms sprouted from the very stone surrounding the heartstone. Though short and stout, these beings were as strong as an adolescent bear. Because of their short stature, the Maker dubbed these beings Dwarves, or "Living Mountain" in his tongue. Though they were birthed from stone, however, they did not have stone skin. The War of Kharaak 223,000 years later, the Nospheratu developed strong feelings of resentment and jealousy toward the Dragons for not sharing their knowledge with all races. They also held different views on how the younger races should be counseled. Dragons believed the young races should be allowed to flourish and learn for themselves while the Nospheratu believed they were too young to make their own choices and needed to be guided with a strict and rigid structure of society. The Dragons argued their points calmly, but the Nospheratu lost control of their anger and declared war on the Dragons. The New Age The War of Kharaak lasted for 2,000 years. The Nospheratu and Dragons were fairly matched in strength, magic, and strategy, though because of the differences in birth rates, there were significantly more Nospheratu. In their desperation to continue their heritage, the Dragons cast a spell over the course of the final 200 years of the war. This spell poured all their knowledge and magic into a new race. Just as the spell was finished, the Nospheratu broke through the final defenses guarding the 8 Dragons performing the ritual and slew them. Their blood mixed with the spell, granting this new race Dragon-like features and they became known as the Drakon. However, the spell was so powerful that its magic seeped out into the world, as well. The excess magic poured into animals of the wild, super-evolving them into sentience. The vast variety of animals affected could not be kept track of, so the world came to know any animal humanoid as a Primal. The spell affected a great number of species: turtles, lions, tigers, rhinos, wolves, lizards, and many other creatures. Many of the Primals united as a race and began practicing druidism, though the wolven species that spawned broke off and formed their own society. They became known as Lycanthropes. While they were technically wolves, they studied strong forms of druidic magic and alchemy to learn how to change their form to resemble that of an Elf, and later, Humans. Along with the Primals, the spell also affected Nospheratu. While the spell uplifted many species into sentience, as well as completely creating one from nothing, the effects on the Nospheratu were much less desirable. Nospheratu found that they had lost the ability to reproduce, as well as becoming carriers of a disease that affects Elves. This disease caused any Elf infected to mutate, becoming a lesser form of the Nospheratu. They were painfully sensitive to daylight and they developed an insatiable appetite for blood. They also developed exceptional strength and became more agile, though it was little more than they already were. It is not recorded when, but some time later, these Vampires isolated themselves from the rest of the world, seeking to control their hunger and become more respectable in Kharaak, even going so far as to rename their kind Moon Elves. The Goblins and Humans 45,000 years after the War of Kharaak came to its end, two more races evolved into sentience: Goblins and Humans. At first, both races were very tribal in culture, but over time that changed immensely. Goblins, while still remaining fairly tribal in culture, learned the craft of trading and bartering early on, granting them access to much more advanced technologies. To further advance themselves, they continuously scavenge for unused objects and forge them together to craft wondrous, though usually unrefined, machines and gizmos. Humans remained tribal for quite some time, slowly evolving over the millennia. They became quite adept with magic and physical ability, being very well-rounded rather than focused on one strength. Through trade with Goblins in later years, they also gained on-par technology, allowing them to compete with other races. A Little More Evolution Merely 10,000 years after the Goblins and Humans came about, evolution struck again. This time, Gnomes were conjured into existence. A short people with advanced tribal technology, Gnomes began as warriors and rogues, challenging larger foes to duels and hunting much larger prey. As the Gnomes progressed through the years, they became even more adept at engineering and tinkering. A Repeat of History Another 10,000 years later, after reading through the histories of Kharaak and become masterful alchemists and engineers, The Goblins decided that in order to continue their survival, they would have to evolve again. Through their knowledge, they crafted a multitude of machinery and alchemical mixtures to attempt and recreate the process of evolution the Dragons had used to create the Drakon. This attempt resulted in a much larger Goblinoid, the Orcs. Orcs were very savage and tribal in nature, much like early Goblins, but they quickly learned their advantage over their ancestors and left, killing any Goblins who attempted to stop them. For years, Orcs warred with themselves, the different tribes all vying for power. Eventually, one tribe rose above them and united them. A Second Attempt After the first failed attempt of evolving themselves, Goblins crafted another plot to force themselves into superiority. This time, however, they only had one successful test. The result was an Ogre, which the Humans had stolen after invading the Goblin laboratories. After stealing the Ogre, the Humans crafted a method to create a cross-breed of Human and Ogre. This Half-Ogre was taller and more physically capable than any human, but its intelligence suffered. This made Half-Ogres perfect for hard labor. Humans enslaved them and used them to build houses, town halls, monuments, and more. This allowed humans to spend less time constructing and more time researching. Half-Ogres were also used as a military force for the Humans. Last Ditch Efforts Ashamed of their previous failures, Goblins became desperate. They crafted one last plot to evolve themselves, this time, keeping it well-hidden. Four millennia after the Ogre fiasco, they had finally developed a new method to evolve themselves. This final attempt resulted in the machine the Goblins had been using exploding, leveling the laboratory and the assumed decimation of the Goblins' work and final attempt at evolution. Several years after, however, during their trade expeditions, they discovered that their final experiment had worked. They had created what were referred to as Trolls. They were tall, green, and had tusks that grew from their mouths. Tribal in culture, Trolls had a shamanistic religion and got along well with the Goblins, eventually offering to ally with them.